2006年VOA标准英语-Thai Military Coup Leaders Set up Powerful Anti

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Bangkok
25 September 2006

The ruling military junta¹ in Thailand has set up a powerful anti-corruption³ body to investigate allegations of graft⁴ in the administration of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was overthrown⁵ last week in a bloodless coup⁶.

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Thailand's anti-graft commission, led by Parntep Klanarongran, right, holds it's first meeting Monday

The new nine-member committee, which includes Thai central bank officials, prosecutors⁷ and government auditors⁸, began Monday to investigate accusations⁹ that members of Mr. Thaksin's administration abused power for personal gain.

The Thai military says it overthrew¹⁰ Mr. Thaksin last week because his government was corrupt² and was dividing the nation.

Somphob Manarangsan, head of the economics department at Bangkok's Thammasat University, says the coup leaders will now be expected to set up effective anti-graft mechanisms¹¹.

"I think that one charge that people paid to the government is the corruption charge," he said. "And so the coup used this kind of charge as one of the major reasons to topple the Thaksin government. So I think that after the coup, they also have to clean up the country."

The new committee has one year to complete its investigations¹² and forward cases to the Attorney General for prosecution¹³.

The coup leaders have given the committee the power to confiscate¹⁴ or freeze the assets of politicians and their family members if found guilty of corruption, making it more powerful of Thailand's existing anti-graft agency.

Last week, the coup leaders revived that agency, the National Counter-Corruption Commission, to investigate corruption in general - but the commission cannot freeze assets. It can only seek to prosecute¹⁵ cases through the courts.

Somphob from Thammasat University says both corruption panels need to be transparent¹⁶ to gain the trust of the people.

"I think that they should conduct [themselves] in the very open way, very transparent way, and having the good governance, accountability, credibility and transparency," he said.

Mr. Thaksin, a former telecommunications tycoon¹⁷ turned politician, is now in exile in London where, he says, he is taking a rest from politics.

His wife, Pojaman Shinawatra joined him there Monday. She and their three children hold much of the family wealth.

Calls for Mr. Thaksin to resign intensified¹⁸ after his family earned $1.9 billion tax-free from the sale in January of the telecommunications company the prime minister founded. The public was outraged¹⁹ that their leader could earn such a large profit without paying tax, and months of street protests followed.

The leaders of the coup have declared martial²⁰ law, suspended the 1997 constitution, banned political party meetings and restricted the press.

The junta has also promised to name a civilian²¹ prime minister by next week, and hold elections in October 2007.

Although polls show most Thais welcomed the coup, governments and human rights groups around the world have criticized it.

1 junta   

n.团体；政务审议会

参考例句：

• The junta reacted violently to the perceived threat to its authority.军政府感到自身权力受威胁而进行了激烈反击。
• A military junta took control of the country.一个军政权控制了国家。

2 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 graft   

n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接

参考例句：

• I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
• The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。

5 overthrown   

adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词

参考例句：

• The president was overthrown in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被赶下台。
• He has overthrown the basic standards of morality. 他已摒弃了基本的道德标准。

6 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

7 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

8 auditors   

n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生

参考例句：

• The company has been in litigation with its previous auditors for a full year. 那家公司与前任审计员已打了整整一年的官司。
• a meeting to discuss the annual accounts and the auditors' report thereon 讨论年度报表及其审计报告的会议

9 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

10 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

11 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

13 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

14 confiscate   

v.没收(私人财产)，把…充公

参考例句：

• The police have the right to confiscate any forbidden objects they find.如发现违禁货物，警方有权查扣。
• Did the teacher confiscate your toy?老师没收你的玩具了吗？

15 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

16 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

17 tycoon   

n.有钱有势的企业家，大亨

参考例句：

• The tycoon is on the verge of bankruptcy.那名大亨濒临破产的边缘。
• The tycoon has many servants to minister to his needs.那位大亨有很多人服侍他。

18 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

20 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

21 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。